After The Hickory Dickory Dock Raid
by suzie2b
Summary: What happened next?


**Disclaimer:** _ **The Rat Patrol**_ **is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.**

 **Author's note: tullyfan came up with another idea. She's good at that. :-)**

 **After The Hickory Dickory Dock Raid**

 **By Suzie2b**

 **Hitch and Tully abandoned the German watchtower when they saw Troy's signal. They quickly climbed down and were about to make a run for it when a German guard spotted them.**

 **Hitch, who was still wearing the helmet he'd taken from the guard in the tower, turned his head slightly and said to Tully, "Stay behind me."**

 **Tully quickly backed up next to the ladder they'd just come down. The guard ran over and started questioning Hitch in German, presumably asking why the other wasn't at his post. However, Hitch had no idea what was being said and finally hit the German alongside the head with the butt of his machine gun.**

 **As Hitch and Tully ran to meet Troy and Moffitt, another German guard caught sight of them. He called out, "Halt!" Then raised his rifle and fired. The bullet hit Tully in the right thigh and sent him tumbling. Hitch managed to reach Troy and Moffitt as the guard began shouting, "Amerikaner! Amerikaner!"**

 **Troy peeked around the corner of the building and saw that his private was surrounded. "They got Tully!"**

 **Hitch started to go back, saying, "We gotta get him!"**

 **Troy stopped him looked at his watch. "We'll have a diversion in a moment."**

 **Seconds later Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch heard the American bombers just before they started to drop their payload on the POW camp.**

 **As soon as the Germans were distracted by the bombing, the three Allies stepped out and began shooting the closest enemy soldiers as Moffitt rushed forward, lifted Tully over his shoulder, and ran with Troy and Hitch on his heels laying down cover fire.**

 **##################**

 **The ride to the nearest hospital was rough on Tully. Hitch had done his best to get the bleeding under control before bandaging the wound, but with Moffitt driving hell-bent-for-leather through the dark, hitting every bump and hole he couldn't see, a now heavily bleeding Tully was nearly unconscious when they pulled into a waterhole to check on him as the sun came up.**

 **Moffitt applied pressure to the wound knowing there was a very real probability that the bullet hit the artery. "I'm sorry, Tully. I should've been more careful."**

 **Tully closed his eyes and grimaced as pain coursed through his leg. He managed a whispered, "Couldn't be helped, sarge."**

 **Moffitt glanced at the private as Tully slipped into unconsciousness.**

 **Troy walked over and put a hand on the limp private's shoulder and asked Moffitt, "How's he doing?"**

" **Not good. I think the bullet nicked the artery. I've got the bleeding under control, but he can't continue in the jeep. He's already lost too much blood."**

 **Troy nodded his understanding. As he and Moffitt carefully moved Tully out of the jeep onto a blanket, Troy said, "I'll radio for an ambulance and plasma." He got to his feet as he watched Moffitt spread a blanket over the pale young man. "Doesn't Hitch and Tully have the same blood type?"**

 **Moffitt stood up and faced his fellow sergeant as he thought for a moment. "I believe so. O+ if I'm right."**

" **That's what I thought. Do we have what's needed for a transfusion?"**

 **Moffitt nodded. "Yes. I fully restocked the medical kits before we left base."**

 **Troy said, "You get set up. I'll go talk to Hitch before I make that radio call."**

 **Hitch turned when he heard Troy coming. "How's Tully doing, sarge?"**

" **Not good at the moment. We can't move him anymore. He's lost too much blood…"**

 **Hitch quickly said, "Tully and I have the same blood type. We can do a transfusion."**

 **Troy was relieved and smiled slightly. "Yeah, that's what Moffitt and I were thinking. Apparently we have everything needed to do it."**

" **I'll go help Moffitt get set up."**

" **Good. I'm going to radio for an ambulance and plasma. Then I'll take watch."**

 **##################**

 **Hitch was lying next to his still unconscious friend as Moffitt got the transfusion started. Once blood was flowing through the tubing into Tully's arm, Moffitt said, "There, how's that feel, Hitch?"**

" **Don't feel a thing."**

 **Moffitt rocked back on his heels with a sigh. "Good."**

 **Hitch recognized the expression the sergeant wore and said, "This isn't your fault."**

" **Yes it is. After I got the news about my brother's death, I should've backed away from the mission. I became too emotional … too much a liability."**

" **Could be that Tully would've gotten shot regardless."**

 **Moffitt shook his head. "If I'd stayed behind, you, Troy, and Tully would've gotten in, taken care of business, and gotten out of there without a problem the first time."**

 **Hitch said adamantly, "You can't know that for sure."**

 **Moffitt smiled as he stood up. "You just rest and keep an eye on Tully. I'm going have a word with Troy and see if he was able to get an ambulance arranged."**

 **Troy was leaning against a tree, puffing on a cigarette, when Moffitt joined him. Troy didn't look at the other sergeant as he asked, "Everything okay?"**

" **Yes, in about ten minutes or so Tully should be doing a little better. Were you able to get an ambulance?"**

" **Yeah, but it's coming from Tabuk Wadi and won't be here until this afternoon."**

 **Moffitt frowned. "I was hoping it could get here sooner."**

 **Troy nodded. "So was I. Will Hitch be able to donate again later if necessary?"**

" **He's strong and healthy. I'm taking about a pint now. If we need to do it again in a few hours, he should be able to handle it … but** _ **only**_ **if there's no other choice."**

 **After about ten minutes, Moffitt stopped the transfusion and wrapped both Hitch's arm and Tully's.**

 **Hitch sat up slowly and leaned back on the jeep as he watched his friend. "Shouldn't he be awake now?"**

 **Moffitt checked Tully's pulse. "He's weak. His body's fighting to keep him alive right now." He stood and got a canteen for Hitch. "Here, drink plenty." Moffitt got a box of K-rations and began to open the canned meat. "You just rest for now."**

 **Hitch took a drink, then asked, "When will the ambulance get here?"**

" **This afternoon." Moffitt handed the can and the rest of the box to the private. "There's a chance we'll have to do another transfusion before they get here."**

" **No problem. If Tully needs it, he's got it."**

" **Let's hope he doesn't need it. You, however, need to eat, drink, and rest though, just in case."**

 **##################**

 **The sun moved slowly across the sky as the day passed. Troy and Moffitt took turns on watch while Hitch and Tully rested.**

 **Troy knelt next to Tully with a canteen when he heard the private cough as he woke up. He helped the injured private take a drink as he asked, "How's it going, Tully?"**

 **The shaky young man settled back down and whispered, "It's goin', sarge." Tully noticed Hitch dozing next to him. "Is he okay?"**

 **Troy glanced at his other private. "Yeah. You needed a little help and he gave it willingly."**

 **Tully looked from Hitch's bandaged arm to his own. "Oh…"**

" **There's an ambulance coming to pick you up. It should be here in a little while." Troy saw the pain in Tully's eyes and got a dose of morphine from the med kit. Without a word, he administered the shot and watched his friend drift into an uneasy sleep.**

 **##################**

 **Three in the afternoon came and went. Troy was pacing the waterhole impatiently, watching the horizon for any sign of the ambulance. Finally, at a little after four, he spotted it. It was being escorted by a halftrack armed with a 30 caliber machine gun and six men with submachine guns.**

 **When the vehicles came to a stop next to the jeeps, Troy and Moffitt met them.**

 **Moffitt went to the back of the ambulance, where the medics were gathering their medical bags, and said, "Your patient is over here. Where's the plasma?"**

 **One of the medics said matter-of-factly, "We didn't bring any."**

" **You didn't bring plasma? Why not?"**

 **Lieutenant Peterson stepped up with Troy and said, "Like I was just explaining to Sergeant Troy, there wasn't any to bring. The field hospital attached to the battalion at Tabuk Wadi was inundated with wounded and ran out last night."**

 **Moffitt said, "Tully won't make it without plasma."**

" **That's why we're a little late getting here. Troy mentioned that your man is O+. I was able to locate two men with that blood type and brought them along." At the look of relief on Moffitt's face, Lieutenant Peterson said, "We'll be taking him to the hospital at Jabail."**

 **After the medics took care of Tully and did another transfusion, he was put on a stretcher and loaded into the ambulance.**

 **About halfway to Jabail they were forced to stop for another transfusion. By the time they got to the hospital Tully was stable, but remained unconscious.**

 **The surgeons and nurses were waiting and Tully was taken straight into surgery.**

 **Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch had nowhere else to go, so they went to the mess hall to wait.**

 **It was hours before they got word on Tully's condition. He made it through surgery and they managed to save his leg.**

 **##################**

 **When Tully slowly began to become aware of his surroundings – from the sounds and smells he figured he was in a hospital even with his eyes closed. Then he heard it. That unmistakable British voice, quietly reading what sounded like something out of the Arabian Nights tales. Tully laid there and listened, letting the fuzziness fade at bit from his brain.**

 **Moffitt noticed Tully beginning to get just a little restless. He leaned forward and put a hand on his friend's forearm. "Lay still, Tully. You're going to be all right." The private's eyes opened slowly. Moffitt smiled and said, "How do you feel?"**

 **Tully blinked. "I don't feel much of anything." He slowly looked around and asked, "Where are we?"**

" **The hospital at Jabail."**

" **How long?"**

 **Moffitt looked at his watch. "Just about forty-eight hours now."**

 **Tully shifted, then gritted his teeth as pain flared through his injured leg. He looked up as Moffitt's smile faded and he saw an expression he'd seen before. "This isn't your fault, sarge."**

" **So I've been told. But I can't help but think that if I'd stayed behind after finding out about my brother's death, you wouldn't have been shot."**

 **Tully sighed. "Hitch and I would've been in the tower regardless. That was part of the plan from the beginning. Chances are that bullet just had my name on it no matter what we did." He looked the sergeant in the eye and said, "Thanks for gettin' me outta there, sarge."**

 **Moffitt fought to hold back a tear at the sincerity in the private's voice. "You're very welcome, Tully. And thank you."**

 **Tully yawned. "For what?"**

 **Moffitt smiled. "For being you."**

" **Well, that's the only way I know how to be."**

" **Why don't you relax now and rest."**

 **Tully nodded slowly as the tug of sleep forced him to close his eyes as he said quietly, "Don't leave…"**

 **As Tully drifted off, he could hear Moffitt's voice as he went back to reading.**


End file.
